Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology

Newsletter

Issue 84 Spring 2019

CONTENTS

PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2

SOCIETY NEWS 3

ANNOUNCEMENTS 4-5

PROJECT REPORT

6-7

CONFERENCE DIARY 8

www.spma.org.uk ISSN 1357-8340 Second Series

EDITORIAL

Welcome to the Society’s 84th newsletter. This issues features the first Report by SPMA President Jacqui Pearce, committee changes, the names of grants and prize winners for the year and a report on a project supported by the Society’s travel award (see page 6). It also contains details of this year’s Post-Medieval Archaeology Congress, hosted by the University of Glasgow (see page 8). This will be the fourth year of the Congress, which has been growing in scale and scope since the first, held in 2016 at the University of Sheffield on the Society’s 50th anniversary. The 2018 Congress was held at the SS Great Britain in Bristol, a venue which showcased a broad variety of papers from around the world as well as of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s shipbuilding

masterpiece. Hosting the congress in Bristol, a city of historical trade, exchange and commerce, showed how place itself can inspire and influence new discussion. The Society is increasingly international, with membership from across the world reflecting wide interest in the subject. This is especially true of our Journal, Post-Medieval Archaeology, for which we are looking to expand our editorial team (see page 4).

Lara Band

Keep up with the latest events and news in the Society:

follow us on Twitter @SPMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/postmedieval/

Conference delegates at the 2018 Post-Medieval Archaeology Congress in Bristol

Newsletter 84: Spring 2018 2

Now that we are well and truly launched into 2019, with the Newsletter enjoying its first outing under new

editorship, it seems a good time both to look back over SPMA’s activities during 2018 and forward to

events planned for the coming year. So, first of all, we welcome Lara Band, CITiZAN Project Officer at

MOLA, to the editorial chair and wish her well in bringing together news of the increasingly multi-faceted

and deeply fascinating field of post-medieval archaeology.

Looking back over the past year, a very obvious highlight was the SPMA Congress held in Bristol in

March 2018. Organized in association with Bristol University, the main venue for the conference was,

memorably, Brunel’s pioneering SS Great Britain. A very full programme of papers focused on a

remarkably wide range of topics, presented by speakers from around the UK and many other countries,

including Ireland, USA, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Poland, Czech Republic and Armenia. A

walking tour of Bristol was conducted by Professor Mark Horton and we had the pleasure of being

present at the unveiling of a specially commissioned bust of Professor Mick Aston at a reception following

the opening lecture, given by Professor Chris Gerrard, as well as enjoying a drinks reception on board

MV Balmoral.

This of course prompts us to look forward to the 2019 Post-Medieval Congress, which is fast

approaching. As members will by now know this is being hosted by Glasgow University and will run from

22 to 24 March. Full details are available in this Newsletter and on the SPMA website. As in previous

years, the Congress promises a diverse and rich array of papers, with a strong international flavour.

Although a relatively recent addition to SPMA’s calendar of events, we are delighted to see the way in

which this has grown and developed, offering excellent opportunities for presenting the results of recent

work in the field of post-medieval or historical archaeology.

An important aspect of SPMA’s work is the support the Society is able to offer to students and

researchers at various levels of study. Council is delighted to be able to offer our congratulations to all

successful applicants for the Post-Graduate Dissertation Prize, the Community Engagement Award, the

Research Grant and the Student Travel Award, details of which appear in this Newsletter. Long may such

contributions continue!

A further highlight in the past year was the Annual Geoff Egan Lecture, which was delivered on 17

December 2018 by Dr Annie Gray at the University of Liverpool in London, focusing on a subject very

close to everyone’s heart, or stomach at least, as she delved into the mysteries of public engagement

with food. This was a most fascinating and engrossing traversal of a subject I am sure the late Geoff

Egan would have much enjoyed.

The Society’s AGM was held before the lecture, and ordinary members

of Council Craig Cessford and Daniel Rhodes retired, having served

their three-year terms. Courtenay-Elle Crichton-Turley was co-opted as

Membership Secretary. Russell Palmer resigned as an ordinary member

and Vicky Crewe and Stuart Campbell stood down as Newsletter Editor

and Website Editor respectively. Newly elected council members Lara

Band and Eloise Kane took over their respective roles. Christopher

Booth (student rep), Brian Kerr, Erki Russow and Alice Samson were

elected as ordinary members. I, and everyone on Council, would like to

thank those who have served the Society over the past three years and

more, and to welcome all new Council members and officers – we look

forward very much to working together over the coming year(s) to

advance the cause of post-medieval archaeology!

JACQUI PEARCE president@spma.org.uk

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Newsletter 84: Spring 2019 3

SOCIETY NEWS

2018 AGM, COUNCIL ELECTIONS AND THE 8TH GEOFF EGAN ANNUAL LECTURE 17 December, University of Liverpool in London The AGM was opened by SPMA President Jacqui Pearce, followed by reports from the Secretary, Emma Dwyer; Treasurer, Kerry Massheder-Rigby and other members of the Council. After the election of new council members, described in the President’s Report (see page 2), it was time for the always entertaining Geoff Egan Annual Lecture. In Playing with your food: public engagement through the material culture of food and dining Dr Gray explored the good, bad and occasionally terrifying ways of communicating food history and how this have the potential to spark questions about a broad range of topics, both historical and contemporary. For the AGM Agenda and full accounts for 2017-2018 see www.spma.org.uk/about-the-society/agm/. SPMA GRANTS AND PRIZES The growth in popularity of post-medieval archaeology continues to be reflected in the high quality of submissions for the society’s grants and prizes. The successful candidates in 2018 are: PAUL COURTNEY STUDENT TRAVEL AWARD Emily Glass, PhD student, University of Bristol – Travel to the conference Practices, Materiality, Places

and Temporality: New Approaches in Albanian Studies in Tirana, Albania See pages 6-7 for Emily’s report on the conference COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AWARD Eve Campbell, Achill Archaeological Field School, Ireland: A community consultation event aimed at

developing collaborative research questions for the 2019 season of fieldwork Richard Gilbert, University of Sheffield, working with Heeley City Farm: An interactive re-enactment of the

manor court at Tinsley, inviting attendees to suggest modern equivalents of the presentments and by-laws made by the court

RESEARCH GRANTS Giles Dawkes (UCL/Archaeology South-East) The lost fort of Castle Pinckney, South Carolina: From

Revolution to Civil War Joanna Brück & Gary Robinson (Universities of Bristol & Bangor) The “university of revolution”:

archaeological excavations at Frongoch internment camp, north Wales Eric Tourigny, University of Newcastle Do all pets go to heaven? An archaeological survey of Britain’s pet

cemeteries Victor Serrano, University of Leicester The Archaeology of Mona Island Guano Miners Gylfi Helgason & Adolf Fridriksson Institute of Archaeology, Iceland The Significance of the Landscape

Context of Icelandic Holy Wells in the Western Region, AD 1550-Present For details of our awards, including how to apply visit www.spma.org.uk/prizes-and-grants

From the lecture: An homage to Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party at the Escoffier Museum of Culinary Art

Newsletter 84: Spring 2019 4

ANNOUNCEMENTS

OBITUARY KENNETH J BARTON 1924-2018 Ken Barton died peacefully on 28th August 2018. He had a distinguished career in museums and a lifelong passion for medieval and post-medieval pottery. He with John Hurst was instrumental in founding the Post-Medieval Ceramic Research Group in 1963, the precursor of the Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology. He served as our President from 1976 to 1978 and one of our two Vice-presidents from 1979 to 1981. Perhaps his greatest achievement whilst an officer of the society was organising our first joint conference with the Society for Historical Archaeology in Bristol in 1980. He will be greatly missed by his many colleagues who value his friendship and generosity in sharing his knowledge and expertise. He is survived by his wife Marilyn and his children Oliver, Tabitha and Ben. A full obituary will be submitted to the journal.

David Dawson, Taunton

SOCIETY FOR HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY JAMES DEETZ BOOK AWARD In January Rachael Kiddey was awarded the 2019 Deetz Book Award for Homeless Heritage at the SHA conference in Missouri. On her blog Rachel writes that she was especially pleased to win an award that commends accessible and entertaining books that are classics for archaeologists as well as non specialists “because, who’d want to write a book that only 4 academics and you mum read?”

ASSISTANT EDITOR VACANCIES: POST-MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY The editorial team at Post-Medieval Archaeology is looking to recruit new Assistant Editors. Our journal is international and illustrates the increasingly broad scope of post-medieval archaeology today, including pottery, glass, metalwork, fortifications, vernacular architecture, landscape studies and industrial archaeology. The Society covers the period up to the present day. An Assistant Editor’s role is to liaise with authors, arrange peer-review, and guide articles through the initial editorial stages of scholarly publication. This is a great opportunity to get involved in one of the leading journals in the field. To apply for the position, please send a CV and a short letter outlining any relevant editorial or professional experience to editor@spma.org.uk by 21 March 2019.

Online access to Post Medieval Archaeology from Volume 1 (1967) is available to all SPMA members via Taylor & Francis. See their Post Medieval Archaeology webpage and contact support@tandfonline.com if you need any help with access. Through Taylor & Francis, SPMA members are entitled to a 30% discount on Routledge books: use the promotional code SOC21, valid until 31/12/2021, at checkout when you purchase from www.crcpress.com or www.routledge.com

Rachael Kiddey with SPMA Vice President Harold Mytum and SHA President Mark Warner at the awards ceremony (Photograph: Victoria Hawley)

Newsletter 84: Spring 2019 5

ANNOUNCEMENTS

NEW HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY DEGREE PROGRAMME AT DURHAM UNIVERSITY BA ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE HISTORIC WORLD

The Department of Archaeology, Durham University, is delighted to announce the launch of its new BA Archaeology of the Historic World, now accepting students for entry in autumn 2019. This wide ranging archaeology course harnesses student passions for history through researching historic sites, material culture and museums and emphasises interdisciplinary learning and skills. Students have the option to study the material remains of the ancient, medieval and modern worlds, with an emphasis on the last 600 years. They can take modules in History, Classics, Ancient History and other related subjects in departments across Durham University. Key themes include the archaeology of industrialisation, conflict archaeology, colonialisation, transatlantic connections and south-east Asian trade. The Department of Archaeology at Durham is a world leader in the study of the archaeology of the medieval and post-medieval world. Its recent work on the burial of the 17th century “Scottish Soldiers” has received widespread publicity both sides of the Atlantic. Other important work includes excavations within the Forbidden City, Beijing (China) and at Auckland Castle, the medieval home of the Prince-Bishops of Durham. Our projects are also exploring the archaeology of the 1930s Great Depression in NE England, the landscapes of medieval Spain, the material culture of South and East Asia, and the bioarchaeology of health and well-being in post-medieval and industrial communities. The Department is home to world-leading facilities ranging from DNA laboratories to state-of-the-art facilities for geoarchaeology and isotopic analysis. It holds major teaching collections and has access to Durham’s Oriental Museum, one of the UKs major collections of Asian art. We also operate an extensive commercial infrastructure and have a network of heritage-sector collaborators to match. Our staff are passionate about sharing their expertise with our students, and for the benefit of wider society. Archaeology has been taught and studied at Durham University since 1931 which make our staff and students part of a long tradition of learning. We are fortunate to be surrounded by incredible examples of medieval architecture, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and positioned close to some of the country’s premier archaeological sites, such as Hadrian’s Wall and the Saxon monastery at Jarrow. Throughout the years, the department has grown to become what it is today: one of the largest departments in the world and the national leader for archaeological research. We are regularly ranked one of the top two Archaeology departments in the UK (e.g. Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014,Complete University Guide 2018) and one of the top five globally (World University QS rankings 2018). Admissions criteria: Our standard offer is AAB (A levels) and 36 (IB) although we can be flexible for the right candidate. Contact us for information about admissions criteria for international students. For information about the structure of the BA Archaeology of the Historic World visit the course website: www.dur.ac.uk/archaeology/undergraduate/undergrad_courses/ba-histarch For more information about the Department of Archaeology visit www.durham.ac.uk/archaeology. Twitter @ARCDurham, Facebook @ArchaeologyDurham. For further information please contact Dr David Petts: d.a.petts@durham.ac.uk

Excavations at Auckland Castle

Newsletter 81: Autumn 2016 5 Newsletter 84: Spring 2019 6

SPMA PAUL COURTNEY TRAVEL AWARD REPORT: EMILY GLASS, UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL PRACTICES, MATERIALITY, PLACES AND TEMPORALITY— NEW APPROACHES TO ALBANIA STUDIES, INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE TIRANA, ALBANIA, OCTOBER 10-12 2018

The last international conference on Albanian Studies was held in London in 1999 and was focused on ideas of myth and Albania. Now, almost twenty years later a new meeting was convened, this time in Tirana. This was seen as an opportunity to reflect upon current and emerging approaches in Albanian studies in order to identify future directions of research and to envisage potential collaborative projects. It was the result of long term cooperation between the Department of History (University of Tirana), the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Art Studies (IAKSA, Tirana), the Institute of Mediterranean, European and Comparative Ethnology (IDEMEC, Aix-en-Provence) and Center for Turkish, Ottoman, Balkan and Central Asian Studies (CETOBAC, Paris).

Albanian studies include many directions of research that spread across disciplines and this meeting was designed to bring a selection of established and new-generation scholars together. I was invited to attend as an archaeologist whose current PhD research takes a Modern Conflict Archaeological approach through materiality and landscape towards Albania’s mushroom-shaped bunkers (MSBs). This particular style of infantry bunker was installed across the country from the late 1960s to the late 1980s and has since been re-engaged in a number of ways since the fall of the regime. In addition, I worked as a field archaeologist on seasonal excavations in and around the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Butrint between 2001 and 2012 which provided

me with an overarching knowledge of Albanian culture. A total of 60 academics attended the conference from the following disciplines: Anthropology, Art History, Economy, Ethnomusicology, Film Studies, Geography, Sociology, History, Human-Animal Studies, International Relations, Linguistics, Law, Museology, Political Sciences, religious Studies and Transnational Studies. I was one of only three archaeologists attending, the other two were Albanians I had worked with at Butrint in the 2000s who were also the only attendees I had previously met before the start of the conference. The meeting was designed to use a less formal model of academic conference, using roundtables to allow more time for collective discussion, during which we were sat facing each other rather than against a platform. There were 8 sessions in total, each contained 7-8 speakers with two questions to be answered by each individual. I was situated within ‘The Material Turn and Albanian Studies’ roundtable, and my questions were: 1) What is your assessment of the ‘material turn’ in your field of studies? 2) How do you approach ‘materiality’ in your own work? We were asked to submit our answers (1000 – 2500 words) a few months in advance so that our contributions could be circulated and read well before the conference. Within the sessions, each speaker was given 5 minutes to present their main arguments with PowerPoint imagery reserved for only a couple of the ‘Visual Turn’ speakers. Immediate questions were allowed after individual presentations followed by a broader session discussion at the end. We were asked to read all of the submitted abstracts, rather than only those in our own session, so that everyone could get involved in the debates. For myself, this was a novel format for a conference, but I really enjoyed its informality and ability to stimulate discussions which often could have gone on for much longer than the time allowed. I have been to many conferences where the discussion sections felt a bit muted, but this certainly was not one of them.

FIELDWORK REPORT

The Conference Venue: The National Museum of History in Tirana

Newsletter 81: Autumn 2016 5 Newsletter 84: Spring 2019 7

One of the highlights was the session on ‘Interdisciplinarity’ and what it means to work in such a framework. This discussion was absolutely fascinating, because the nature of my own professional and academic archaeological (with some anthropological) background is incredibly interdisciplinary because material culture is followed to, or across, wherever it leads you. I had not fully appreciated to what degree this is not always the case within the contexts of other disciplines or countries, which can be more confined. This was reaffirmed when I asked one of the Albanian Anthropologists whether he had undertaken any research on Albania in the First World War, he said ‘no, that is what historians do’. I was rather shocked by this because in the past few years my archaeological work and research has taken me from the Neolithic-Bronze Age to the Napoleonic era then into the Cold War and up to the present. In this way I feel lucky not to be restricted by chronology, which was a point I made during my presentation regarding how developments within Historical-Contemporary Archaeology and Modern Conflict Archaeology have enabled me to create the theoretical and empirical frameworks for my PhD.

A field-trip was included which took us to visit the town of Elbasan, about 30 minutes from Tirana. We first went to see the Chinese-Albanian constructed ‘Steel of the Party’ factory, a vast industrial complex covering 155 hectares and where 12,000 people were once employed. Most of the site is now derelict with only the Steel and Oxygen plants operated by a Turkish company. It was an incredible and fascinating landscape to walk around, and for me was a highlight of the conference and it has a direct relevance to my research as bunker rebars have been sent there as scrap metal to be recycled. After this, we travelled back in time to see Elbasan’s historic town centre, including current conservation works on the mosaics of an excavated 5th century Palaeochristian Basilica, a walk along the Via Egnatia, Orthodox churches and mosques and the old town walls. Back in Tirana, we were treated to the premier showing of a documentary film titled: “Construction of Enver Hoxha’s era – A Short Story of Electrification of Albania” by Björn Reinhardt and Eckehard Pistrick. This film was tragic and comedic in so many ways but really hit home that many areas of Albania are still affected by serious energy shortages and long-given false promises of progress. The conference was held at Tirana’s National Museum of History within the recently renovated Skanderbeg Square, a stunning venue where we were catered for magnificently. On the final evening, we had dinner in the Sky Tower with an incredible view across the Tirana nightscape which ended up with us singing traditional songs between rounds of raki, where I failed to communicate more than the chorus of Blaydon Races. Jokes aside, the conference was incredible and enabled me to meet many people that I wouldn’t normally have crossed paths with in any other professional or research capacity. One of the goals of the conference had been to identify future directions of research and discuss potential collaborations. Unlike the 1999 conference, there are no plans to publish a book, but the conference abstracts are currently being edited so as to put them online for others access as a starting point. In addition, many emails have been exchanged between participants with cross-discipline information and article sharing. These are the pre-cursor to a future Albanian Studies website which will operate as a central hub for information and ideas to be shared, collaborated with and critiqued in an interdisciplinary manner. The latest news is that the 3rd Albanian Studies conference will be held in Pristina, Kosovo – there is no date as yet, but the gap will certainly not be as long as twenty more years! I am extremely grateful to the SPMA Paul Courtney Travel fund for their assistance along with the University of Bristol’s Alumni Fund, both of which enabled me to attend this conference.

FIELDWORK REPORT

Trip to the former communist ‘Steel of the Party’ Metallurgical Combine at Elbasan

Newsletter 84: Spring 2019 8

POST-MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY CONGRESS 2019 22-24 March 2019, University of Glasgow Over papers arranged in parallel sessions covering the interwar period; now; death and burial; hygiene and welfare; interpretation and dissemination; site biographies; military sites; trade and industry, landscapes and material culture illustrate the breadth, geographical and temporal, of current research into the post-medieval period. Optional extras include Friday afternoon’s walking tour of Art Nouveau Glasgow (cost £5) and an excursion to Cultybraggan PoW Camp and more on Monday 25 March (£20). Fees are Ordinary SPMA Member £69; Young SPMA Member £49; Non-member (waged) £90; Non-member (student/unwaged) £69 all including lunch, refreshments and Friday evening drinks reception. The reduced registration fees are also available to members of Glasgow's local archaeology and history societies. Visit www.spma.org.uk/events/pmac2019 for more details including delegate registration. CIFA 2019 22-24 April, Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds The theme of the 2019 Chartered Institute for Archaeologists conference ‘Archaeology: values, benefits and legacies’ will provide a forum for delegates to discuss and explore ideas around social value, public benefit, and the creation of knowledge. Visit www.archaeologists.net/conference/2019 for more details. EAA 2019 - BEYOND PARADIGMS 4-7 September, Bern, Switzerland At the 25th annual meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists the SPMA are sponsoring the session Current research and the development of national post-medieval archaeologies over the last 25 years. Current socio-political shifts highlight the tensions between nationalism and regionalism, colonialism and post-colonialism, industrialisation and post-industrialisation, and reactions for and against globalisation. These are all tensions which post-medieval archaeologists study with a unique material time depth. The SPMA session will allow them to be discussed as national experiences within a European context, and will celebrate the continuing increased appreciation of the archaeology of the last half millennium. Visit www.e-a-a.org/eaa2019 for more information.

ONE THOUSAND YEARS OF CERAMIC INNOVATION: SPMA / MPRG JOINT CONFERENCE

5 October, Mortimer Wheeler House, London This joint SPMA and the Medieval Pottery Research Group conference will focus on a wide range of technological, stylistic and functional advances introduced into potteries from the 11th century to the present day. These are manifested in innovative developments in methods of manufacture, ceramic fabrics, new and increasingly specialized forms, decorative styles and techniques, and their collective effect on the place and role of ceramics within society. Send expressions of interest, with a brief summary (up to 200 words) for papers up to 30 minutes in length (including time for questions) by 1 May 2019 to ceramic.innovation@spma.org.uk. See www.spma.org.uk/events/ceramic-innovation for more details.

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CURRENT MEMBERSHIP RATES

Ordinary members (25 years and older) £36 or US $69

Joint members (25 years and older) £40 or US $92

Young person (under 25 years old or full-time students) £20 or US $40

Membership services for the Society are provided by Taylor and Francis Publishing. You can pay for your membership online using Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, AmEx and Solo.

Go to www.spma.org.uk to join.

SECRETARY secretary@spma.org,uk

Dr Emma Dwyer

The Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology Ltd.

Registered Company No. (England) 1477528. Registered Charity No. 281651. Registered Office: c/o Society of Antiquaries of London, Burlington

COPY DEADLINES

newsletter@spma.org.uk

Final newsletter copy deadlines are 1st February for the Spring newsletter and 15th August for the Autumn news-letter. Send news and/or enquiries to Lara Band at this email address.

CONFERENCE DIARY